Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. Original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N ShiaLover09 : I know, I'm a very DramaTic person too, and all the fluff is a bit dry for the long run, so don't worry, drama re-enters here.. Thanks for taking the time to review, yet again, appreciate it!

Thanks 6Ellie6 and acciodanrad9 for reviewing, love that you guys are reviewing after EACH chapter, love you guys!! MuAH!

And also thanks to Imel for reviewing..

As I said, drama is back in the house, dun dun dun……….. haha, okay, Enjoy..

Chemicals React.

"Hey, ma, so what's for dinner?" Aaliyah asked as she entered the kitchen through the back door returning from her shift at Mona's Sandbar.

"Hey, biff, tonight? We're having Johnny steak," Ava replied throwing a smile over her shoulder as she stirred the sauce. She had on an apron under her tank and skirt and her was hair tied up in a ponytail which was rare, but she looked very domestic diva, very wifely and Allie commended her for the effort in her head.

"Hmm.. smells good.." Allie replied as she put her bag onto the table and sunk into the counter chair before perking her head up "You didn't literally, mean.. Johnny steak right? Cause you're supposed to still be in the honeymoon stage you know, not kill your husband and then cook him stage," she said with a mock seriousness

"Kill and cook who?" asked Johnny from behind her and she gave a relieved sigh.

"Oh, thank god!" she said dramatically and Ava laughed shaking her head while wiping her hands on the apron.

"Find it, find it!" Ava rushed Johnny, leaning over the counter towards her husband as Johnny sifted through the pile of letter on the counter.

"You.. got a letter from Brown," he said passing over an envelope to Allie.

"It looks a little anorexic for an acceptance letter," she said as she turned the letter over in her hands tracing a finger over the logo on the front.

"Good news or bad, you know we're proud of you," Ava said as she came from behind the counter and slid an arm around Johnny's waist. He did the same and they exchanged a nervous glance before looking back at Allie who thought about how it seemed like both yesterday and a century ago when she flew in for the interview. It seemed like both yesterday and a century ago when she came back to Play Linda. Damn, it was confusing.

She exhaled and tore it open, pulling out the letter; she left the envelope on the counter and proceeded to read the contents of the letter. She stoically read the letter in silence.

"Dear Miss Lennox-Montgomery," she began reading it out loud.

"It is with great pleasure," she continued, a smile creeping into her face "..that the admissions board at Brown University welcomes you to our institution," she paused for a moment as the words hung in the air and then she squealed and jumped both Ava and Johnny who were standing there by the sidelines and threw her arms around their necks.

"I'm going to Brown," she said as her arms danced around Ava and Johnny's necks.

"And we are so proud you," Johnny said with a chuckle.

"Oh, they're growing up so fast," Ava said to Johnny with a tear in her eye.

"Ava.. Can we please not turn this into a sermon of how quickly time passes and only yesterday we were kids running round the front yard?" Allie groaned with a stupid grin plastered on her face as she looked at the letter in her hands once again to make sure it was still there, and real.

"Oh, I can't help it Rore, you're going to Brown, Bradin's gotten into Berkeley-" she started as Johnny chuckled and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Bradin got into Berkeley?" Allie asked, still breathless and grinning, looking up from the letter.

"He just read his, just before you got back,"

"Oh.." she said simply, the grin was evaporating from her face pretty fast.

"That's great," she said, before adding to herself, for someone who's not me.

"So anyway, dinners not for another hour or so, why don't you go 'chill'?" Johnny asked using a new found lingo Derrick had taught him.

"No, I'll help, I want to," Allie insisted.

"Go.. Relax, 'chill', 'hang' or whatever it you kids do nowadays, you've deserved it," Ava insisted.

"Okay, a girl can get a hint, you guys wanna get mushy in the kitchen, I'm gonna go 'hang' at the beach," Allie said picking up her stuff and dumping it in her room before making it out front. She had a long day in school and a long shift at Mona's, she didn't really feel like surfing much so instead, she walked along the rugged shores a bit with her hair in a ponytail flipping behind her clad in her usual outfit, hoodie and shorts.

The sun set a beautiful glow over the waters and the wind was so soothing that she had already begun to miss Playa Linda thinking on how she would have to leave for college.

Aaliyah stopped walking as she spotted Bradin coming in from the sea dragging his board with him. She started going towards him when something caught her attention, or rather someone. Her long hair tied in a ponytail billowing behind her in the sea breeze and she had on shorts and a pink bikini top. Callie's face lit up as he approached and they entered a conversation, with a lot of giggling on Callie's part and her hand reached up to touch him a few times, on the shoulder, on his arm, casual little contacts, the simple signs that he clearly either missed or ignored.

Callie even not so subtly eyed at his wet body, biting her lips visibly. Since Aaliyah happened, Bradin had been influenced to not wear a wet suit, as Allie went on and on on how feeling the water and gliding through it whilst surfing was such a great feeling. He tried it once after much of a squabble and was hooked, not that Allie complained.

Allie was far enough to not hear exactly what they were saying but she could see them clearly, each move, each stolen glance Callie gave, she could even hear the scattered laugher from when they laughed. Callie looked so blissfully happy to be in his presence. Allie inhaled and let out the breath slowly.

"Do you like Bradin?"

"What?" the question caught her by surprise.

"Do you like Bradin?" Callie repeated her question.

"Uh.. No, why?" she lied impeccably, she'd been convincing herself that a lot lately.

"Good, cause I've been like getting this vibe from the 2 of you, and it's a little weird you know," Callie said as she wiped the table in front of her. The two of them have been getting along pretty well, being in some same classes, hanging out with the same crowd, working at the same place.

"Weird how?" Allie probed as she cleared the table for Callie to wipe, balancing the glasses on her tray.

"Cause I used to date him? Remember?"

"Yea, but it's not like you're dating now?" Allie stated as she carried another tray of empty glasses and dishes away from the tables. Mona's had a busy day and Johnny had left it to her to do the locking up, he headed home early for another date with Ava. She had to admit, things were going pretty damned good for them, you did an okay job, she thought to herself, pleased.

"Well, yea, but I never really got over him you know, and now that he and Erika are history.." Callie trailed off dreamily with a grin on her face.

"Oh.." Allie said somewhat inadequately

"I don't know, maybe, Christmas or New Years we'll bump into each other at a party, get together again, and we've both applied for Berkeley, so we won't have to make it work long distance you know," Callie continued to prattle on.

"Bradin really did a number on you didn't he?"

"Yea, he did,"

"And if you tell anybody about this, I would have to kill you,"

"If I did, I really wouldn't blame you," Aaliyah replied and Callie chuckled before the two girls resumed their work.

She heard Bradin chuckle a little and he looked away, when he turned back around, seemingly to say something but Callie tip toed and kissed him on the lips. Not even a short peck on the lips but a long lingering one and Aaliyah turned around just as Bradin's shocked open eyes caught her brown hair whip around away from them and he pushed Callie away.

"Bradin!" Callie called out to him as he walked hurriedly away, as though he was chasing someone. He didn't reply as he went after a person who was not there and Callie just stood there in shock.

"Allie!" he called out when he finally caught up to her.

"Don't Bradin," she said devoid of emotion without turning around.

"Allie please," he pleaded.

"No, Callie likes you, she may even be in love with you and she's my friend, I can't-" Allie started saying but Bradin cut her off

"Allie, just hear me out first okay," he said grabbing her arm and twisting her around. Between the sun and the sea breeze, he'd dried up pretty nicely.

"I like you, a lot, and I'm falling for you, big time. I don't feel the same way about Callie, she kissed me and I pushed her away, and if that's how you feel about me too, fine, but I get this feeling that you've been pushing me away was because you knew she wanted to get back together with me all along, and you didn't want to hurt her,"

"It's not that Bradin," she said before stopping herself.

"Then what is it? You Don't like me?" he asked puzzled

"No, I do, a lot, a little too much actually,"

"Then the hell with Callie," Bradin replied impulsively

"Callie's my friend Bradin, but that's not the point,"

"Then what is?"

Life was so much easier before Allie happened, he thought to himself, he'd never had conversations this frustrating before.

"The point is I've been accepted to Brown,"

"That's.. Great, right?" he asked, beginning to get a little confused.

"Brown's in Rhode Island, Bradin," she stated.

"And I'm in Berkeley," Bradin replied, finally understanding her dilemma.

"I'm gonna have to leave after graduation," she declared sadly.

"What does that give us, Bradin? 2 months? Just enough time for our hearts to get broken? There's no happy ever after at the end of this tunnel, and I really don't wanna go there again," she ploughed on shaking her head.

And at that moment, realization dawned upon him. Aaliyah didn't leave New York; she ran away, she ran away because she had her heart broken. And that's why she didn't let anyone nearer than an arms length. She fell for someone, hard, and he broke her heart.

And Bradin stood there lost in his thoughts as she walked away. They'd wasted so much time, he realized, playing the games they played, dancing around one another, they'd lost months and months of precious time because of their games, and soon they'd need to go to college, and now there just wasn't enough time anymore.

He regretted the time they'd spent dancing around one another, looking at the time frame they had now. And with this unexplored territory came a strange pull in his stomach when he considered the times they'd argued and laughed and teased and joked and seethed and fumed, the stolen touches that he hadn't even recognized for what they were at the time; just another way to place himself closer to her, and the stolen glances when he looked at her for no particular reason.

He knew she was right, but he wanted nothing other than to pull her close and wrap his arms around her tightly, to feel the soft touch of her skin against his, to touch her lips again with his once again, to fight for her, fight with her for her not to do it, but before his mind could form the words and the actions, she was already out of sight.

A/N Sorry for the late update, had a busy couple of days and my lap top just went beserk on me, don't get why I said no when my dad offered to get me a Mac, though I don't think he was serious but still, makes me think what the hell is wrong with you! Garr…! Anyway, yeap, a long dramatic one to compensate the lack of updates for the past few days, once again, sorry..

Well, anyway, I didn't care much for this one, did you? Yea, I know, the drama wasn't really drama and I bet it was a little confusing.. And yes I know, I know, you hate me for breaking them up, but is all part of my plot, okay? And honestly I couldn't think up any more material for them being mushy and lovey dovey, it's really not my cup of tea, well I suppose I could if I tried but I have an outline to keep with here.. So bear with me.. Okay, I'm rambling, I'll shut up now..

Let me know what you think, clicketh that littleth button I sayeth.. haha.. Okay, next one will be up soon..! Promise!